Eat like a local, shoot like a pro

I hate being a tourist. That’s why this is not about the tour.”

Tara Jones, the founder of Santa Barbara’s Eat This, Shoot That, is a ball of energy and provided a stimulating and mouth watering conversation with Mark and Patrick. Her business and the journey to her dream venture is inspiring. She also writes for Noozhawk.

This wide-ranging conversation covered a lot of ground including:

• How she got started doing photo workshops
• How the recession in 2008 forced her to rethink everything and the journey she took to explore options
• Best quote about being a wedding photographer: “If you’ve been to 5 weddings, you’ve been to them all.”
• She grew up in an entrepreneurial family – grandparents, and parents. Her Dad had seven businesses
• How going to Brooks Institute of Photography (RIP Brooks – such a loss)
• How a friend in Boston got her to think that Food Tours were in her future
• How following her passion turned into the right path to follow
• “What do I love to do? And how can I get paid to do it?”
• The story of her first tour
• Why the Funk Zone is perfect for her tours
• Loved this comment: “Goal for the tours? Stay off State Street.” Why?
• How the SB restaurant scene is changing so fast, it’s hard to keep up with
• Taking the Strength Finders Test (Marcus Buckingham rocks) to help figure out what she wanted to do – even though her parents paid for a very nice photography degree at Brooks
• Her Dragon? Staying on top of the pack and not paying attention to upstarts in her market
• How you sell people on coming back – We sell them a feeling. (Love that)
• She wrote a book too: 100 Things to do in Santa Barbara before you die. These books are a franchise – if you want to write one in your town, click here. Cool idea